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booksuperpower's review against another edition
5.0
Rubber Soul by Greg Kihn is a 2013 Premier Digital Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Dust Bin Bob , a Merchant Marine and second hand shop owner meets John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney and form a bond when they discover his collection of 45 rpm records. These records are from the States and are not available in Britain. The guys hang out and listen to records and play music. They also hang out in clubs, drink too much, and John has a particularly wicked streak that often rubs Bob the wrong way. But, the guys remain friends through all the changes in thier lives.
Bob is mostly unassuming . He has a difficult home life with two older half brothers that are bitter towards him because thier father married Bob's mother so soon after thier own mother died. Bob gets the brunt of their anger and on one occasion John steps in and pulls Bob away from a nasty beating by his brothers.
This incident prompted Bob to keep his distance from his brothers. The beating seems to have been put in the past, but Bob's brothers have not forgotten and a plan to exact revenge is being plotted against the Beatles.
Meanwhile, Bob leads his own life and works hard with his own business . He meets a girl, gets married and starts a family. The Beatles are never too far from his mind though. He watches as they begin to get some recognition, go to America, make an appearance on TV, and tour around the world. Bob has several opportunities to help the guys out and they in turn help him as real friends will do. But, no one ever dreamed that Bob would swoop in and save the day for the Beatles and become an unsung hero.
I had NO idea what to expect when I started reading this novel. I am, of course, familiar with the author and his own musical success. I am also a Beatles fan. But, a novel featuring the fab four? I had no idea how that would work out.
Well, it works out great, as a matter of fact. The author does a great job of giving the Beatles personalities and dialogue that is believable. I kept forgetting that Bob was a made up character. He is the real force behind the story. A guy that is a true blue friend and loyal to a fault.
The author did a a great job of capturing that magical time period when things were changing and the reader is seeing those exciting moments in history through the eyes of Bob as he tries to absorb not only the pop culture exploding with new music, hairstyles, clothes and attitudes, but through his own growing pains and the adult situations he had to deal with by becoming a parent, trying to build a business and dealing with his father's health problems, and of course the situation with his brothers. There was a stark contrast between Bob's life and the life of the Beatles, but there were also similarities.
Bob may have had a bit of a hand in helping with the Beatles music here and there, and of course he has a big role in helping them in Manila.
If you are Beatles fan it goes without saying, I think you will love this book. The stories about the songs they recorded early in thier careers and the references made will have you chuckling. If you are not a big Beatles fan or if you just don't know much about them, you will still like this book. There is humor, heartbreak, angst, family drama , crime drama, nostalgia, a little romance, and a lot of adventure.
I was entertained from start to finish and that's what it's all about. This one is an A+
Dust Bin Bob , a Merchant Marine and second hand shop owner meets John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney and form a bond when they discover his collection of 45 rpm records. These records are from the States and are not available in Britain. The guys hang out and listen to records and play music. They also hang out in clubs, drink too much, and John has a particularly wicked streak that often rubs Bob the wrong way. But, the guys remain friends through all the changes in thier lives.
Bob is mostly unassuming . He has a difficult home life with two older half brothers that are bitter towards him because thier father married Bob's mother so soon after thier own mother died. Bob gets the brunt of their anger and on one occasion John steps in and pulls Bob away from a nasty beating by his brothers.
This incident prompted Bob to keep his distance from his brothers. The beating seems to have been put in the past, but Bob's brothers have not forgotten and a plan to exact revenge is being plotted against the Beatles.
Meanwhile, Bob leads his own life and works hard with his own business . He meets a girl, gets married and starts a family. The Beatles are never too far from his mind though. He watches as they begin to get some recognition, go to America, make an appearance on TV, and tour around the world. Bob has several opportunities to help the guys out and they in turn help him as real friends will do. But, no one ever dreamed that Bob would swoop in and save the day for the Beatles and become an unsung hero.
I had NO idea what to expect when I started reading this novel. I am, of course, familiar with the author and his own musical success. I am also a Beatles fan. But, a novel featuring the fab four? I had no idea how that would work out.
Well, it works out great, as a matter of fact. The author does a great job of giving the Beatles personalities and dialogue that is believable. I kept forgetting that Bob was a made up character. He is the real force behind the story. A guy that is a true blue friend and loyal to a fault.
The author did a a great job of capturing that magical time period when things were changing and the reader is seeing those exciting moments in history through the eyes of Bob as he tries to absorb not only the pop culture exploding with new music, hairstyles, clothes and attitudes, but through his own growing pains and the adult situations he had to deal with by becoming a parent, trying to build a business and dealing with his father's health problems, and of course the situation with his brothers. There was a stark contrast between Bob's life and the life of the Beatles, but there were also similarities.
Bob may have had a bit of a hand in helping with the Beatles music here and there, and of course he has a big role in helping them in Manila.
If you are Beatles fan it goes without saying, I think you will love this book. The stories about the songs they recorded early in thier careers and the references made will have you chuckling. If you are not a big Beatles fan or if you just don't know much about them, you will still like this book. There is humor, heartbreak, angst, family drama , crime drama, nostalgia, a little romance, and a lot of adventure.
I was entertained from start to finish and that's what it's all about. This one is an A+
susanscribs's review
1.0
Cute idea but fell flat. Kihn may write catchy songs (and pun-tastic album titles - Kihnspiracy, Kihntagious, etc.) but he's nowhere near a polished author. I thought I would enjoy anything related to the Beatles but the one-dimensional characters and the poor plotting made this a chore to finish. The scenes with the Beatles added nothing to my understanding of or appreciation for the Fab Four, and the scenes without them were dull. Apparently there will be another Dustbin Bob book about the Rolling Stones. Fortunately, I don't like them enough to even be tempted.
kat2112's review
3.0
ARC received from NetGalley.
If you're my age (and the coming reference is the only hint you're getting), you are probably familiar with Greg Kihn. Turn on your local BOB or JACK "we play anything" radio station and chances are the song Jeopardy is in rotation, sandwiched between Taco's Putting on the Ritz and that horrid Will.I.Am/Britney earworm. Greg Kihn co-wrote and performed Jeopardy, which was a huge song in its day. Constant MTV airing huge, Weird Al parody huge. If you haven't given Kihn a thought since 1984, no need to worry. He's apparently still kicking and writing in another arena.
Kihn's latest effort, Rubber Soul, follows the adventures of a Liverpudlian entrepreneur as his life intersects periodically with those of several hometown friends striving to launch careers in music. I have read quite a few Beatle-inspired novels, and reviewed some Beatles fiction here in the past - I find stories like these go either away in terms of quality. I hesitate to call such works glorified fan fiction, since the Beatles themselves are basically historical figures now, and it wouldn't be fair to lump these books as fanfics when other writers bring true to life people into fiction and dodge the stigma. That said, some stories I have read seem to lack the polish that carries the characters out of fandom into something serious. In the case of Rubber Soul, I found a concept that interested me -- a look at the early Beatles through the eyes of a friend -- despite the rough patches.
Bobby Dingle helps his father run his antiques shop in Liverpool. Like other teenagers in the port town, he's fascinated by American rock and roll, and through the right contacts is able to snare prized 45s before anyone else in town (What's a 45? It's like an MP3, but different. Google it.). His love for American rhythm and blues and rock solidifies a friendship with a young John Lennon, and soon Bobby's position as the band's Forrest Gump is secured. Throughout the story - from encounters in Hamburg, Bobby's later adopted home of Baltimore, and London - Bobby peppers little influences like Easter eggs for John to find and integrate into the Beatles' success. If you're a fan, you'll spot them on sight.
As the reader gets a lesson in early rock and roll - with names of the Fabs' musical idols sounded off in a constant roll call - dark shadows cast occasional palls over the action. Bobby's thug half-brothers, Mick and Clive, cause trouble for the band, while fatal events in Hamburg have a lasting impact. Rubber Soul covers the period from the late 50s to the Beatles' nightmarish experience in Manila, in 1966. I've read more than my share of Beatle bios, too, and while Kihn doesn't specify actual dates throughout the story he appears to present an accurate timeline of events. That one scene where John dupes Bobby into trying LSD? I confirmed the date John tried it for the first time (it's a fairly famous story, mind you), just to make certain. A casual music fan may gloss over particulars, but a Beatleologist can nit-pick. Given that the pace of Rubber Soul runs rather swiftly, one may accept that Kihn properly placed the fixed points in Beatles history within his fiction. Curiously, though, this story omits the "bigger than Jesus" controversy altogether.
So, accuracy aside, is the story any good? Firstly, I commend any author willing to fictionalize people who existed. I did find overall dialogue stiff at times - in some parts it didn't feel natural, more like a recital of facts. I did like that the story focused more on Bobby as he connected with a variety of supporting players - the fictional Clovis, for example, came off more colorful as the rest, which would make sense given the author could write the character more freely.
Rubber Soul should please Beatles fans, and fans of early rock and roll. You'll find it's more than another version of an oft-told history, but a view of a changing time as youthful innocence morphs into moments of cynicism and turbulence. Ending with the events in The Philippines seems to cut the story short, but it doesn't make the ride there any less thrilling.
If you're my age (and the coming reference is the only hint you're getting), you are probably familiar with Greg Kihn. Turn on your local BOB or JACK "we play anything" radio station and chances are the song Jeopardy is in rotation, sandwiched between Taco's Putting on the Ritz and that horrid Will.I.Am/Britney earworm. Greg Kihn co-wrote and performed Jeopardy, which was a huge song in its day. Constant MTV airing huge, Weird Al parody huge. If you haven't given Kihn a thought since 1984, no need to worry. He's apparently still kicking and writing in another arena.
Kihn's latest effort, Rubber Soul, follows the adventures of a Liverpudlian entrepreneur as his life intersects periodically with those of several hometown friends striving to launch careers in music. I have read quite a few Beatle-inspired novels, and reviewed some Beatles fiction here in the past - I find stories like these go either away in terms of quality. I hesitate to call such works glorified fan fiction, since the Beatles themselves are basically historical figures now, and it wouldn't be fair to lump these books as fanfics when other writers bring true to life people into fiction and dodge the stigma. That said, some stories I have read seem to lack the polish that carries the characters out of fandom into something serious. In the case of Rubber Soul, I found a concept that interested me -- a look at the early Beatles through the eyes of a friend -- despite the rough patches.
Bobby Dingle helps his father run his antiques shop in Liverpool. Like other teenagers in the port town, he's fascinated by American rock and roll, and through the right contacts is able to snare prized 45s before anyone else in town (What's a 45? It's like an MP3, but different. Google it.). His love for American rhythm and blues and rock solidifies a friendship with a young John Lennon, and soon Bobby's position as the band's Forrest Gump is secured. Throughout the story - from encounters in Hamburg, Bobby's later adopted home of Baltimore, and London - Bobby peppers little influences like Easter eggs for John to find and integrate into the Beatles' success. If you're a fan, you'll spot them on sight.
As the reader gets a lesson in early rock and roll - with names of the Fabs' musical idols sounded off in a constant roll call - dark shadows cast occasional palls over the action. Bobby's thug half-brothers, Mick and Clive, cause trouble for the band, while fatal events in Hamburg have a lasting impact. Rubber Soul covers the period from the late 50s to the Beatles' nightmarish experience in Manila, in 1966. I've read more than my share of Beatle bios, too, and while Kihn doesn't specify actual dates throughout the story he appears to present an accurate timeline of events. That one scene where John dupes Bobby into trying LSD? I confirmed the date John tried it for the first time (it's a fairly famous story, mind you), just to make certain. A casual music fan may gloss over particulars, but a Beatleologist can nit-pick. Given that the pace of Rubber Soul runs rather swiftly, one may accept that Kihn properly placed the fixed points in Beatles history within his fiction. Curiously, though, this story omits the "bigger than Jesus" controversy altogether.
So, accuracy aside, is the story any good? Firstly, I commend any author willing to fictionalize people who existed. I did find overall dialogue stiff at times - in some parts it didn't feel natural, more like a recital of facts. I did like that the story focused more on Bobby as he connected with a variety of supporting players - the fictional Clovis, for example, came off more colorful as the rest, which would make sense given the author could write the character more freely.
Rubber Soul should please Beatles fans, and fans of early rock and roll. You'll find it's more than another version of an oft-told history, but a view of a changing time as youthful innocence morphs into moments of cynicism and turbulence. Ending with the events in The Philippines seems to cut the story short, but it doesn't make the ride there any less thrilling.
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